


9.Adopting a Pet Together

by w_hope



Series: KHR Flufftober 2020 [9]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Animal Abuse, Implied/Referenced Animal Death, Implied/Referenced Grief/Mourning, M/M, Not Beta Read, POV Third Person, Romantic Fluff, Soft Hibari Kyoya, Ten Years Later Verse (Katekyou Hitman Reborn!)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:54:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26730964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/w_hope/pseuds/w_hope
Summary: Yamamoto brings Hibari to an animal shelter, and hopes it will cheer him up a little.
Relationships: Hibari Kyouya/Yamamoto Takeshi
Series: KHR Flufftober 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945450
Comments: 2
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

“Good—good afternoon sirs.” The man takes even less than one look at Hibari and shifts his whole attention on a smiling Yamamoto. Not that Hibari is looking at him. He’s doing this thing where he’s scrutinizing the animal shelter while still definitely looking at him. “What can I help you with?”

“We just want to take a look,” Yamamoto says.

“Oh?” The relief is clear on his face at the prospect of having minimum interactions with them. “What about—” He glances at the stray cat in Hibari’s hands.

“No.” There’s a distinct lack of any emotions in Hibari’s voice, as distinct as the unmistakable shift in the air.

The man tenses even more, which Yamamoto didn’t think possible but he’s used to it by now. People just tend to surpass themselves around Hibari out of an overwhelming desire to not die.

Hissy nuzzles Hibari’s arm, unbothered, apparently already unaffected by the Hibari effect. That’s good, seeing as she’s most definitely coming back home with them.

“Sorry,” the man chokes out. He does meet Hibari’s eye, but maybe he’s just smart enough to not risk having him out of his sight. Not that it would change anything.

“Volunteer?” Hibari asks. Yamamoto glances at the badge pinned on his chest. Oh yeah, he _is_ a volunteer. Poor guy.

“Yes, I’m—”

“How long?”

“Err, a long time?”

“This shelter is not up to standards, Herbivore.”

Yamamoto swallows a laugh at the dumbfounded look that crosses his face. But then it takes on an outraged expression, albeit his voice comes out shakily.

“Well sir, we’re not the ones you should be telling us that. All the employees here are doing the utmost best with the resources they’re given. These animals are cared for and loved and looked after with all of our heart. Of—of course it could be better, but we make a point to make sure they’re not unhappy at all. S-so—”

Hibari subtly straightens his back, and he quiets down. “Is that so?”

The man pales under Hiabri’s preying eyes. He swallows thickly, either subconsciously aware—or worse, _very_ consciously aware of the threat building in the air.

Yamamoto takes pity at the sheer panicked look he gives him.

He steps closer to Hibari, slides his hand down his back to rest at the small of his back. “That’s good to know, sir. Isn’t it, Kyoya?” He brushes their shoulder together, ever so slightly.

“I suppose.” Hibari looks past the volunteer again, effectively dismissing him. “I’ll write you a check.”

“No way, _I’ll_ do it.” Yamamoto swings him around to look at him eye to eye. “Out of my own money. For the animals, and as a proof of my love.” Hibari narrows his eyes, and he gives him his most serious, solemn expression. “Because I love you.”

“Disgusting. You’re lucky I didn’t train her yet.”

Yamamoto laughs when he shoves past him. He falls in steps behind him, hands in his pockets.

“Excuse-me sir? A—a check?”

“Uhm?” He turns back to the man, to the confused look on his face. “Oh yeah, you know, for the good of the animals.”

They’ve seen worse shelters by far. Maybe there are a little too many animals for a not big enough space in this one, but at first glance the place is clean, the cages too, and the animals look in good shape.

They’ll use the money right.

“I don’t know if… I’m allowed to…”

“Ah, I forgot.” He closes the distance, puts a hand on his shoulder. “We’ll come check in regularly, so make sure we’ll leave happy alright?” He smiles, wide and cold. He lowers his voice. “Or we’ll break you.”

Yamamoto goes on his merry way without looking back.

A grin quickly plasters itself on his face, and he devolves even quicker into using his baby voice. He waves at the cats, makes faces at bunnies and hamsters, and talks gibberish at every single one of them.

Barks and growls and meowing lead him to Hibari, crouched in front of a dog’s kennel.

Hissy is doing what she does best in the fifteen minutes Yamamoto knows her, that is hissing on all fours on Hibari’s knee. She’s all puffed out to make herself bigger, but is still nowhere near the dog’s size.

Hibari doesn’t even spare him a glance when he crouches beside him. He’s too busy giving praises and incentives and advice to both Hissy and Twilight, stroking Hissy alongside her back.

It does seem to spur the animals on, and Yamamoto wonders for the umpteenth time if Hibari actually mastered the animal language.

“Twilight too then?”

“We’re not calling her that.”

“And Chocolate too,” he adds, waving at the most adorable, chocolate brown puppy he has ever seen, in the kennel next to Twilight.

Hibari rolls his eyes, as if he wasn’t keeping his eye on the puppy all this time. He sneaks his fingers between the bars to stroke the fighting animals to a cease fire.

There’s a content and peaceful look on his face that warms Yamamoto’s heart, still sad and not a smile yet, but it’s the closer to happiness he’s seen him since weeks. His pants are dirty around his knees from when he knelt on the street until he won Hissy’s trust, and a burst of fondness overtakes him.

“Kiss?”

Hibari tilts his head without looking, and he plants a lingering kiss on his temple. He nuzzles his hair, and when Hibari tilts his head again, kisses his forehead.

They move on, go around the shelter back to the entrance. Yamamoto abruptly turns back before their last turn, and finds himself nose to nose with Hibari.

“You know what,” he laughs, not fooling anyone, “I think I want to see Twilight again.”

Hibari huffs. “I can hear them, I’m not deaf.”

“He was just so cute you know? We should go back the way we came.”

“You _will_ move aside, Kitsune.”

Yamamoto bites his lip, but eventually and reluctantly lets him pass. He doesn’t move from his spot while Hibari strides the birds’ aisle.

This is too soon. Is this too soon? The others said it’d be too soon.

Well, Gokudera and Lambo did. Ryohei and Chrome thought it could help him move on, and Mukuro warned him it could go either way.

Tsuna gave a worrying “maybe”, but he didn’t get a bad feeling and his Hyper Intuition didn’t go off, so Yamamoto thought he could take the shot.

He tries to subtly get a feel of Cloud flames, but the way they snarl at him tells him he wasn’t so subtle.

“Kitsune.”

Yamamoto sighs and makes his way over. “I’m sorry Ky-chan, I’m just—”

“We’ll take this one too.”

The bird is busy eating, a beautiful white dove with black eyes and a black beak, a black collar at the nape of his neck. He doesn’t look anything like Hibird, but maybe that’s for the best.

“Are you sure? Please don’t feel like you have to become better quicker than it feels right because of me. I just—”

“Worry too much for nothing, as usual.”

“It’s not nothing,” Yamamoto says softly. He leans against him, and Hibari doesn’t move away. “Hug?”

There’s a beat of silence before Hibari puts Hissy down. There’s another beat where he strokes the top of her head before he stands back up, straight into Yamamoto’s arms.

He pretends to pull away, clicks his tongue. “Your perfume,” he says with impressive disdain in his voice.

Yamamoto laughs. “I know, I know, I’ll change it back.” He strokes the hair at the base of his neck, breathes in eagerly in their strawberry scent. “You know, Hibird isn’t in bird Heaven because he was _your_ bird, but I’m sure he’s having the best time of his life in bird Hell.”

Hibari huffs a laugh, but then actually chuckles, low and husky at the back of his throat, his shoulders shaking. Yamamoto grins ear to ear, and pulls back to take in his happy face, the gleam in his eyes and the white of his teeth peeking through.

“Obviously, who do you think he was?”

“The best,” he says, bumping their foreheads together. “How should we call this little one?”

Hibari hums, shifting his head to look at the dove. “Blade.”

Yamamoto snorts, holds back his laugh as best he can, that is badly. “Terrible name.”

Hibari shuts him up with a biting kiss, and he’s happy to let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apparently animal shelters in Italy are Not So Good. Apparently they're mafia run??? I didn't have the stomach to research further into but, yeah, it's a thing.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any and all review are appreciated. Thank you for reading!
> 
> \--- w_h


	2. Bonus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some thoughts/headcanons I have about this verse.

  * This is TYL but in a TYL!Verse where Byakuran isn’t trying to take over the world because, you know, they dealt with that.
  * Takeshi and Kyoya got together, err, at some point??? Not when they were teens in any case. Somewhere between after high school/reaching adulthood and when they hit 24/26 years old.
  * They got together because??? Not out of some lingering feelings from when they were teens in any case, of from a sudden realization of how the other is boyfriend material lol.
  * And Hibari’s type definitely includes “high battle skills” but he’s in it for other things too.



* * *

  * Maybe Takeshi was the one he used as intermediary to stay in touch with the other Guardians/Tsuna/the family business because he’s the one he tolerates the most.
  * Maybe Takeshi was the one Tsuna sent the most in mission with Hibari because he’s the one most successful to deal with Hibari being Hibari without it ending in a fight.
  * And maybe they learn to actually enjoy each other company instead of just tolerating/putting up with the other. And maybe they start hanging out with the other outside of family business.
  * And maybe they learn to appreciate the way they balance each other, and the way they make each other better, and the way they can deal with the other at their worst without, like, not allowing the other to be at their worst, you know? (Probably not lol.)
  * Yeah, something like that, that sounds nice.



* * *

  * Anyway, they’re together since a year or two here?
  * And Hibird died because??? Not some horrible death like a mafiosi wanting to take revenge on Hiabri or something anyway. Idk guys, birds just die sometimes.
  * So Hibird died and Hibari is sad. And he’s not going on a rampage because he’s 26 and learned how to deal with his emotions like a functioning adult. Well, as much as a functioning adult Hibari can become lol.
  * He does get more vicious and merciless in his missions. And more cold and with an even shorter patience when dealing with the others Guardians. And demands more alone time too.
  * And it’s been weeks like that, and Takeshi wants to give him back some happiness. He thinks maybe adopting a new pet would do him some good.



* * *

  * The actual, full pet names Hibari uses for Takeshi is Ao Kitsune (Blue Fox), for obvious reasons and also we’re not gonna talk about my poor tastes in pet names.
  * But only when he feels particularly proud because Takeshi’s messing with someone, or turned on because he’s being particularly serious in a fight, or mad but while still being in a loving mood.
  * Otherwise Kitsune it is (including in bed, yeah you didn’t ask but now you know lol).
  * Takeshi calls him Ky-chan, and we’re still not gonna talk about my lack of skills in choosing pet names. Kyoya isn’t much up to public display of affection tho, so it’s only when it’s just the two of them.
  * And it’s just Kyoya like, 80% of the time anyway because they both prefer it that way.



* * *

  * Hibari wants to call the dove Blade because white feathers, sword, Takeshi’s favored weapon, all that. It’s his way of saying thank you and showing how he appreciates what he did, and Takeshi knows it.
  * They do end up adopting all three animals, and all three names stay. Also no, we’re not going to talk either about how much worse I am at just naming things lmao.



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any and all review are appreciated. Thank you for reading!
> 
> \--- w_h


End file.
